Kevin Hanek most recently debuted in the title role of Verdi’s Otello in a production with New York’s Delaware Valley Opera. “Naturally, the centerpiece of the show is Otello himself, and Kevin Hanek’s memorable, seafaring Moor was mesmerizing. Commanding the stage, Hanek’s voice is strong and stunning in tone, clarity and range. His thrilling, vocally demanding solos were as riveting as his visage and the audience roared with approval at every turn. Impressive and incredibly versatile… nuance and subtlety, combined with a forceful, domineering interpretation of the character…” (Jonathan Fox, The River Reporter) He is a 2012 Grantee of the International Festival Society, and recently returned from a European audition tour, where he sang his first stage auditions for the Opéra National de Paris, English National Opera, and Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu. Mr. Hanek was represented by Hubbard-Levine Management for the 2008–2010 seasons, and debuted as tenor soloist in performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Reno Philharmonic in April 2010. He performed Erik in a staged concert version of Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer at New York’s Bechstein Piano Centre, appeared as Riccardo in Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera and Radamès in Aïda in staged productions with Bulgaria’s Burgas Philharmonic Orchestra, and sang the Majordomo in the New York premiere of Hans Werner Henze’s The End of a World (Das Ende einer Welt) with Encompass New Opera Theatre. Kevin Hanek received an Emerging Artist Grant from the Hillsborough County Arts Council for his debut recital with pianist Norman Shetler, and performed with the Sarasota Opera as an Apprentice Artist.
Opera Arias
“I have followed with great interest the career of the very gifted American tenor, Kevin Hanek, from his early twenties when he was an excellent Mozart and Donizetti tenor, through his present development into a true Heldentenor in the Wagnerian and Verdian tradition. With a truly beautiful timbre, and his innate and creative musicality and keen dramatic sense, he is destined to become an important figure in the world of opera.”
—Norman Shetler, pianist, musical collaborator in concert and on recordings to such noted musicians as Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, William Warfield, Peter Schreier, Nathan Milstein, Leonard Rose, and the Juilliard Quartet